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Wat Phra
Chao Phya-thai, วัดพระเชาไพยาไทย, also known as Wat Yai Chai-mongkol, วัดใหญ่ชัยมงคล, is situated
to the southeast of Ayutthaya. The large chedi (stupa) there can be seen from
a great distance. This Monastery was built in 1357 A.D. by
King U-Thong for monks who had returned from Ceylon (now Sri
Lanka) after studying under a revered master. This
monastery was originally known as Wat Pa Kaeo. After the
king conferred the title of "Somdej Phra Vanarat" ("The
Patriarch on the Right Hand Side") on the Vhead of the sect, the
monastery was named Wat Chao Phya-thai which means "The Temple
of the Supreme Patriarch". A large chedi or stupa (Thai
version of the Chinese pagoda) was built here by King Naresuen
the Great to celebrate his victory over a Burmese leader in
hand-to-hand combat on elephant back. The king built a
second chedi named Phra Chedi Chai-mongkol, or the Chedia of the
Auspicious Victory, but it was popularly known as Phra Chedi
Yai, or the Great Pagoda. Later on Wat Chao Phya-thai also
came to be known as Wat Yai Chai-mongkol.
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